Photo Booth
by starry night blue
Summary: [ONESHOT] Rukia ponders over the hidden power of the photo booth which makes people happy, and Ichigo offers a demonstration.


**D/C: I don't own Bleach.**

**Well, it's been a while since I wrote anything, but I just couldn't resist writing this one immediately when it popped into mind! It was really just too cute to miss out! So, I'll just stop chattering aimlessly now and leave you to read the story. Enjoy!**

**Photo Booth**

There was something oddly mesmerizing about that small cubicle. A girl and a boy had gone inside a few seconds ago, and now they had stepped out, laughing and checking out a thin strip of glossy paper. They looked really happy.

Rukia just stared, puzzled, at the photo booth, wondering what strange powers it must possess to be able to make people happy in a matter of seconds. She approached cautiously towards it, and reached out to gingerly place a hand on its cool metallic surface. She ran her hands along it, trying to feel any sense of power vibrating from it, but there was none. Next, she poked her head inside those flaps which the former couple had gone through into the booth, and frowned at a fairly empty space, save for a small bench, and some weird object on the opposite wall.

Suddenly, she felt a hand grab her by the shoulder and pull her out of the cubicle. Rukia found herself looking up into the incredulous face of Ichigo. He was holding up a bag of donuts; he'd told her to wait while he went and got them.

"Care to explain what you've been doing?" he asked.

Rukia shrugged. "I just was wondering what is it about this little cubicle that makes people so happy when they go inside it," she told him.

Ichigo stared at her for a moment, and then he burst out laughing. "You gotta be kidding me!" he wheezed. She just scowled and folded her arms against her chest. "Rukia, this is just a photo booth! People go in there to take pictures!"

"Well, if that's right, then how come people look happy after they come out of there? What's so pleasing about a picture?" she demanded.

Ichigo sighed. "Look, if I let you try it out, will you lay off the subject?" he asked her, and she nodded. Balancing the bag of donuts on one arm, he pulled his wallet out of his pocket, pulled out a coin and gave it to her. "Take this, go inside and put it in the coin slot, and then sit and smile for the camera, alright?"

Rukia gave him an odd look, but just nodded again. She took the coin out of his hand, stepped inside, put the coin in the slot and sat down. Ichigo had told her to smile, but she felt that it was just too stupid to just smile to yourself. Instead, she leaned forward to examine that device opposite from her, and that's when a blinding flash of light hit her in the eyes and she screamed in fright. She stumbled back to the hard floor, and, as several other flashes occurred, she crawled hurriedly out of the cubicle, and crashed into Ichigo's legs just outside.

He, on the other hand, just stared down at her, and she smiled weakly at him. "Okay, what happened back in there?" he demanded, as he reached forward to pick that thin strip of glossy paper she'd seen before. He frowned at it. "What were you doing?"

Rukia clambered up to her feet, and craned her neck over his shoulder to see what he was looking at. There were four pictures; an up-close one of her where she was frowning, one where she was stumbling back, and then two blank pictures.

"There was this light..." she said defensively.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "That's the camera flash, Kuchiki," he muttered. He grabbed her hand and started to pull her inside once again. "Come, I'll go in with you and show you how it's done."

Rukia hesitated, but allowed him to stir her inside. It was pretty crammed with the two of them inside. They could barely fit on the bench together, and both seemed rather uncomfortable to be sitting so close to each other.

Ichigo cleared his throat, and extended a hand forward. He pointed at the device on the wall. "You see, Rukia, this is a camera, okay?" he told her. "Cameras take pictures, and for them to do that, they have to emit a bright light to be able to capture the image of the person, alright? It's really nothing to be afraid of."

Rukia still looked doubtful. "Well, could we try it again, then?" she asked.

"Well, I guess we could," he agreed, shuffling awkwardly to reach inside his pocket for his wallet, again. "But you'd better stay put, alright? I'm not paying money over you for nothing."

He shot a furtive glance at her, because she looked ready to jump out the booth the moment he put the coin in the slot. He reached around her and put a firm arm around her shoulders, and she cringed. He then he leaned forward to put the coin in the slot.

"Ready?"

-

Several moments later, the four pictures rolled out outside the booth. The first one was with the two of them, looking stony-faced and uncertain. The second was almost exactly the same, except that Rukia was starting to look edgy. The third was with Ichigo looking down nervously at the girl next to him.

In the forth, Ichigo was planting a kiss on Rukia's cheek.

There was a brief moment of silence, but then, you would've able to hear the definite sound of yet another coin being dropped in the slot.

-

**A/N: Done!!! Isn't it cute? I personally think that this was really adorable, and I hope you think so, too, because I'll be wanting reviews for this!! Thanks for reading!!**

_- S. N. B._


End file.
